Pages

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Yesterday winter storm Jonas dropped about 30" of snow all throughout our region. I watched as my car was slowly buried under a constant snowfall. By 8:00pm last night the only thing that remained visible were my side view mirrors! Today the skies were clear and the sun did its best to melt away what it could, but my car is still mostly buried. It looks like I'll be stuck inside tomorrow as well.

Classes are off to a great start (despite the snowstorm making Monday attendance impossible) and I'm especially excited about my history and literature courses. The only thing that stinks is that my 365 photo project has already been derailed. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I leave for class at 6:45 in the morning and get home from work around 8:45 at night... there's just no time for photos.

While snowed in I've been reading William Blake's poetry for class and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for fun. I'm a bit torn with Outlander. It's a clearly entertaining book but I'm slightly unhappy with events that took place a few hundred pages in. Many people sing praises for the series so I'm working past it, but there was a section that skeeved me out a bit and I'm not quick to forget it.

While I couldn't maintain the 365 photo project I can at least try to commit to my reading challenge this year! I've set the bar somewhat low at 30 books but I'll up the goal if I'm able to keep up a steady pace between work and school. Are any of you doing a reading challenge this year?

This chilly evening calls for more reading, chicken soup, and another cup of tea! Stay warm, friends!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

One of my resolutions for the new year was to do a 365 photo project! 10 days in, however, and I'm already grappling with my belief of "quality over quantity" when it comes to photos. I had intended to post a week's worth of photos here but not all of them are really worth sharing on the blog. Instead I've selected 3 of my favorites from the week, but then what's the point of taking a photo every single day if I only share highlights and dump the rest on my flickr account? Grrrr. My perfectionist nature is a real beast.

Maybe a 365 photo project will be too much for me with work, 16 credits, and life on my plate. Maybe I should just aspire to take photos more often but not daily if they'll be mediocre. We'll see!

Surprisingly -- I'm already doing homework. Spring semester doesn't start until January 20th, but one of my professors emailed us and told us what the first assignment would be so we could get a head start. I'm pretty excited about the classes I'm taking: Introduction to Spanish, 19th Century English Literature, History of Western Civilization, and then my final required algebra course as well as public speaking (yuck).

This week I was surprisingly busy. I had work, family was in from out of town, and I started swing dance classes! I spent a great deal of one day scouring an antique shop I had never been to and managed to find the darling cup pictured above. I then spent the rest of the day working on my college application and FAFSA paperwork (which I can't finish until I get my W2). This week I'm going to sit down and really work on my essays and hopefully get my applications to several schools submitted before classes start.

I think today I'll bake a batch of English toffee scones for the week ahead... I found a scone batter recipe that is my favorite yet! Firm, moist, crumbly, and not too sweet!

Hi there! My name is Danielle! Here you'll find evidence that I drink and think about tea more than anyone should. I love all things Tolkien, firmly believe in second breakfast (thank you for that, hobbits), and I take entirely too many photos of my kitty named Chai. Enjoy your stay!